Ex-President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday called for the detainment of Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, alleging them of failing to protect federal immigration officers.
"Chicago's Mayor should be jailed for failing to secure Immigration agents!" Trump posted on his platform Wednesday morning. "The Illinois governor too!"
The two leaders identify as the Democratic faction.
These remarks come alongside the arrival of National Guard troops in the Chicago region under orders from the current government, notwithstanding vehement protests from state officials such as the governor and mayor.
"This represents yet another attempt where Trump attempted to have an African American leader unjustly detained," Mayor Johnson stated on Wednesday. "I am staying put."
Pritzker also replied via social platforms, stating: "I refuse to back down. Now Trump is calling for imprisonment of elected officials checking his power. What's next on the road toward complete autocracy?"
By Wednesday morning, National Guard units from the Lone Star State had reached the Elwood training facility, a military installation roughly 80 kilometers from the city, as the federal government advances with its hardline crime strategy and immigration enforcement operations.
Trump has called Chicago a "crime-ridden disaster zone", even though official statistics indicate significant drops in most criminal activities, including murders.
That day, two hundred state guard members were scheduled to arrive to the Chicago area, with an additional three hundred state military forces readying for deployment, per reports. Authorities indicated the soldiers would avoid police functions but would secure federal immigration agents and their facilities.
Soldiers wearing uniforms with state guard insignia were spotted at the military facility in the town. Trucks labeled "Disaster Relief" dropped off portable toilets and other supplies. Trailers were arranged in lines. Additional fencing was placed around the compound.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered no-fly zones over the military base for safety concerns until 6 December.
The administration has intensified deportation operations in Chicago in recent weeks, triggering demonstrations, especially near an immigration center in Broadview.
Earlier this week, state and city filed a lawsuit targeting the administration, seeking to block the military dispatch, asking a court to stop what they call "the president's proclaimed 'War'" on the city and state, calling it "unlawful and dangerous".
Legal proceedings on their lawsuit is set for Thursday.
The mayor also issued an executive order on that day banning ICE officers and related personnel from using city-owned property as operation bases for enforcement actions.
The governor has accused Trump of using military forces as "staged tools" and "pawns".
At a news conference on the previous day, Pritzker said that the president is attempting to "rationalize and normalize the deployment of armed soldiers under his personal authority."
The nearly 150-year-old federal law restricts the military's role in civilian law enforcement. Yet, Trump has said he would be prepared to activate the Insurrection Act, which allows a president to dispatch active duty military in states that are unable to put down an uprising or are resisting national authority.
Since starting his new administration, the president has dispatched or discussed deploying military units to over ten urban centers, including Baltimore; Washington DC; New Orleans and California cities like Bay Area and Southern California municipalities, claiming that the military presence is necessary to combat crime and defend immigration agents.
Statistics indicates that serious offenses nationwide has declined in recent years. In Chicago, for instance, homicides were down nearly one-third to 278 through August, according to law enforcement reports.
A recent poll published on that day revealed that most Americans disapprove of the deployment of troops without an external threat.
